US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson begins his visit with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow. The agenda is expected to focus on spiking Russia-US tensions in light of an alleged chemical attack in Syria and a US missile strike in response.

Tillerson arrived in Moscow on Tuesday for his first visit to Russia as a US secretary of state.

As the talks began, Sergey Lavrov said it is vital to avoid more airstrikes on Syria, adding that Russia favors joint action to solve the crisis. He also said Russia has repeatedly stated that it wants constructive dialogue with the US on the Syrian crisis.